Revisiting Tom Petty’s Final Concert

On Sept. 25, Tom Petty took the stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to bring to a close the legendary songwriter's 40th anniversary tour. One week later, he died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by loved ones.

Back in December, Petty had told Rolling Stone that the tour could be his "last big one." "We're all on the backside of our sixties," he said. "I have a granddaughter now I'd like to see as much as I can. I don't want to spend my life on the road. This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that's a lot of time."

The concert that capped off the tour was the third in the trio of sold-out dates at the Hollywood Bowl, which holds 17,500 people. Petty's set list for his final performance was stacked with a career-spanning trove of some of his best-loved songs, including his first entry into the Top 40, 1977's "Breakdown," 1994's Grammy-winning "You Don't Know It Feels," concert favorite "Free Fallin'" and more. The performance served, in retrospect, as a defining encapsulation of the trailblazer's unrivaled contributions to rock music and its lasting impact that crossed generations and genres.

Petty was accompanied onstage by three original members of the Heartbreakers: guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, and bassist Ron Blair.

You can watch footage from the performance below (as well as one song above), including the last two songs he ever played, and see the set list for Petty's final concert after that.